BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Audit Report on the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) remains a top priority for continuous investigation, says the Minister of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Jimson Tanangada.
The Audit Report was released in early October 2024, with the Solomon Islands’ Office of the Auditor General (OAG) detailing mismanagement, procurement breaches, and compliance issues with the 2020 stimulus funds.
It shows major fraud risks with 3 government officials signing off on many payments, one of them cleared 251 cheques totalling $6.8million and over 2,000 grant payments and only 200 applications could be found for review by OAG.
The government’s $309 million Economic Stimulus Package in 2020 to revitalise the economy during the pandemic was a payment disaster, an audit has found.
However, updating the local media during the Prime Minister’s Press conference on November 28 2025, Tanangada did not provide further details but said that he takes the matter seriously.
“I will not comment in detail on that. Probably what I can say is that any issues of national interest are relevant to this now. As far as the police are concerned, if the case is really reported, then I will be, as a Minister, able to request agencies that are responsible for investigation to give the updated information,” he said.
He further pointed out that the issue cannot be anticipated or even verified if there is a case or not.
“We cannot pre-empt it, and even cannot even substantiate it at the moment whether there is a case or not. But that is a very important matter that, of course, the public and people living in the country need to be aware of,” he assured.
He stressed that he needs to confirm whether there is a report so he can issue instructions to provide updated information on the matter immediately.
“I need to confirm whether there is a report. And then I can issue instructions for immediately updating the public at the moment on how far the investigation is going,” he said.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
